314 The Hunting Grounds 



best. When she rose, I thought her foreleg seemed 

 to dangle from the shoulder as if broken, but she still 

 went on, notwithstanding we let fly again and evi- 

 dently hit her, for she gave a terrific roar and turned 

 short round as if to charge, but her heart seemed to 

 fail, and she slunk into some cover close at hand in 

 the centre of the nullah. 



" The light is not good enough for accurate shoot- 

 ing at this range, Hal," said B , as we were re- 

 loading our rifles, " but I do not think she can travel 

 far. I am sure she carries lead in her." 



" Of that there can be no doubt," I replied, " as I 

 heard the soft " thud " of the bullet distinctly ; how- 

 ever, we will follow her up, for I saw her enter that 

 isolated patch of bush in the nullah, from which it 

 would be an easy matter to drive her out with a few 

 rockets. I was only considering whether we had not 

 better wait until daylight, when we could almost 

 make sure of her, for the moon will only favour us a 

 short time longer, as the gorge will be in darkness as 

 soon as she sinks below yon wall of rock." 



" No time like the present, Hal," cried B , 



climbing down the steep bank into the bed of the 

 nullah;" so send Naga to the hut for rockets and 

 some of the people, whilst you, I, and Googooloo 

 watch the cover in case she may attempt to steal 

 away." 



Knowing from experience the difficulty of making 



